Heritage Discoverer Completes Drydock Ahead of Antarctica Debut

Heritage Expeditions’ Heritage Discoverer has completed a drydock in Bremerhaven as the New Zealand-based company prepares the ship for its first passenger cruise in Antarctica in November. The vessel is scheduled to open with a Nov. 19-Dec. 9, 2026 preview voyage from Ushuaia, Argentina, before moving into a 2027-28 program spanning Europe, the Arctic and Antarctica.

The former Exploris One and Silver Explorer moved to Heritage in a late-January auction involving a reported €4.5 million bid. Polar Latitudes Expeditions is also slated to operate the vessel from the 2026-27 season.

Heritage said Director of Operations Nathan Russ was onsite at the German shipyard to oversee the drydock. The 108-meter, 6,130-gt ship was built in 1989 and has 72 cabins. It was refurbished in 2023 and 2026.

Antarctic preview starts from Ushuaia

The preview cruise, called The Ultimate South Georgia, Falklands and Antarctic Peninsula Cruise, will sail roundtrip from Ushuaia. Heritage’s itinerary includes two days in the East and West Falkland Islands and four days at South Georgia, followed by Antarctic Peninsula exploration.

After the preview sailing, Heritage plans to deploy the ship on Northern Europe and Arctic itineraries. The company said the program includes Svalbard, Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, the Hebrides, the Orkney Islands and the Channel Islands, along with European coastal calls tied to UNESCO World Heritage sites, prehistoric monuments, cultural capitals and wine regions in Spain, Portugal and France.

“We are excited to return to some familiar shores aboard our new ship Heritage Discoverer, and explore lesser-known waters on new adventures,” said Aaron Russ, Heritage Expeditions owner and director.

Seven 2027-28 voyages listed for the ship

Heritage has listed seven voyages for Heritage Discoverer’s 2027-28 season, with the program covering Atlantic coast, Arctic and Antarctic deployment:

• Atlantic Shores Odyssey, 12 days, May 2-13, 2027, from Lisbon to Portsmouth.
• British Isles, Ireland & Scotland Expedition Cruise, 12 days, May 12-23, 2027, from Portsmouth to Glasgow.
• Scotland, Faroe Islands & Iceland Cruise, 13 days, May 22-June 3, 2027, from Glasgow to Reykjavik.
• Iceland’s Fire & Ice Circumnavigation, 11 days, June 2-12, 2027, roundtrip from Reykjavik.
• Svalbard, Greenland & Iceland Arctic Islands Expedition, 15 days, July 21-Aug. 4, 2027, listed from Paris to Reykjavik.
• Antarctic Peninsula Expedition Cruise, 11 or 12 days, with departures in November and December 2027 and January 2028 from Ushuaia.
• South Georgia, Falklands & Antarctic Peninsula Cruise, 22 days, with departures in November and December 2027 from Ushuaia.

Former Silversea ship enters broader operator plans

The vessel was originally built as Delfin Clipper and later spent more than a decade with Silversea Expeditions, sailing as Prince Albert II and then Silver Explorer. Before the Heritage transaction, it operated for Exploris Expeditions and Cruises as Exploris One.

For Heritage, the ship adds capacity to a fleet that currently includes the 140-guest Heritage Adventurer and the 18-guest Heritage Explorer. Polar Latitudes has described Discoverer as a co-purchase with Heritage and has folded it into a broader fleet that also includes Ocean Albatros, Ocean Victory and Ocean Nova.

“You want to control your own destiny and owning ships is step one,” said John McKeon, founder and chair of Polar Latitudes Expeditions.

Heritage’s next booking deadline for the new program is Aug. 31, 2026. Guests and agents can save 20 percent on all berths, with returning guests eligible for an additional 10 percent.